3/24/2015
To: Chairman
Franz and members of the House Regulatory Reform Committee
From:
Mike Berkowitz, Sierra Club Michigan Chapter
RE: HB
4246 No Stricter Than Federal
The Sierra Club
Michigan Chapter urges you to vote NO on HB 4246 (Farrington), a bill that
would weaken protection for the Great Lakes and all aspects of Michigan’s environment. This bill would
prohibit the Governor and his/her agencies from issuing any regulation that is
more stringent than federal law unless specifically authorized by the
legislature. In effect it says there is nothing special about Michigan compared
with any other state in the union.
Federal standards to protect environmental quality are designed to
be a minimum standard below which states are not allowed to drop. They are
intended to be a foundation which scientists, stakeholders and citizens can
shape to meet that state’s needs.
Federal regulations are written as “one size fits all”, with no
particular accounting for the sensitivities and fragility of the world’s most
important freshwater resources: the Great Lakes.
Governor William Milliken directed his environmental agency to
adopt controls on the amount of phosphorous in detergents when it became clear
that this pollutant was contributing to killing Lake Erie. Scientists,
sportsmen and community leaders throughout Michigan clamored for action, and
the state’s professional agency staff worked with those stakeholders to develop
and adopt those controls. Lake Erie’s
amazing recovery is largely due to Michigan’s leadership role. If HB 4246 had
been in place at this time, Lake Erie would have been devastated because the
Governor’s hands would have been tied, and the legislature was not taking
action.
Similar bills to HB 4246 were passed in the 1970’s in North Carolina. Over the 20 year period these statutes were in place, North Carolina’s air quality diminished drastically (among other environmental problems), and the 3 Governors in office during this period were not able to do anything to mitigate this. These bills were repealed in 1991 because of their harmful effects on North Carolina’s environment. HB 4246 would likely have the same impact on Michigan, including damage to the Great Lakes.
Similar bills to HB 4246 were passed in the 1970’s in North Carolina. Over the 20 year period these statutes were in place, North Carolina’s air quality diminished drastically (among other environmental problems), and the 3 Governors in office during this period were not able to do anything to mitigate this. These bills were repealed in 1991 because of their harmful effects on North Carolina’s environment. HB 4246 would likely have the same impact on Michigan, including damage to the Great Lakes.
The Sierra Club
Michigan Chapter urges you to vote NO on HB 4246. Votes pertaining to this bill
will be included in the Sierra Club’s legislative scorecard. If you have any questions, please
contact Mike Berkowitz at (517) 484-2372 Ext. 13.
Mike
Berkowitz
Legislative
Director
Sierra
Club Michigan Chapter
